The California Coastal Commission has been under siege like never before, alarming environmentalists and raising questions about the future of the 53-year-old state agency.
“We are under complete assault,” said Susan Lowenberg, a member of the coastal-preservation commission, which was born in the 1970s from the same movement that gave rise to Earth Day and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We need help.”President Trump has publicly castigated the state commission, vowing not to “let them get away with their antics.” Elon Musk has said it “should not even exist as an organization.” Mr. Trump’s administration has threatened to withhold federal aid for the Los Angeles wildfires unless the state defunds the agency.And Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has said the commission has too much power, and delivered a stinging rebuke in January.The California Coastal Commission has been instrumental in preserving that stretch of the state facing the Pacific Ocean by limiting development and ensuring public access. But more than half a century later, the commission has been under siege like never before.In 1972, California voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot measure that maximized public access to the shoreline, required extra permitting for any construction near the coast and created the commission to review development proposals. It’sa the only state agency in California created by voters. Later, in 1976, the State Legislature cemented the protections in the Coastal Act.“The Coastal Act is a hugely important thing for all Californians and all people who come to California, and it should not be sacrificed to solve other problems,” said Jennifer Savage, California policy associate director at the Surfrider Foundation.Read MoreLatest
